Third-Party Software Acquisition Policy¶

Document Information
Version	{{version}}
Effective Date	{{effective_date}}
Document Owner	{{document_owner}}
Next Review	{{next_review_date}}
Approved By	{{approved_by}}

Purpose¶

The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for ensuring the secure operation of {{company_name}}, hereafter referred to as "the company", information systems and networks, protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our data.

The Third-Party Software Acquisition Policy provides guidelines for acquiring software from third parties. This is essential to ensuring that all software used by the organization is reliable, secure, and compatible with our existing systems.

The intent of this policy is to establish the direction and principles for the protection of the {{company_name}}'s IT assets against cyber threats and enable continuous improvement of security capability and resilience to emerging and evolving security threats.

Scope¶

This policy applies to all employees, interns, contractors, and third parties who have access to the {{company_name}}'s information systems and networks.

Software Evaluation¶

Software evaluation is to ensure that all third-party software acquired by the organization meets our requirements for functionality, reliability, security, and compatibility. This is essential to maximizing the value of our software investments and minimizing the risks associated with software acquisition.

Functionality Assessment: The software should be assessed to ensure that it provides the functionality required by the organization. This includes evaluating the software's features, performance, ease of use, and flexibility. The software should also be tested in a controlled environment to verify its functionality.
Reliability Assessment: The software should be assessed for reliability. This includes evaluating the software's stability, performance under load, and fault tolerance. The software's track record with other users and the vendor's support capabilities should also be considered.
Security Assessment: The software should be assessed for security. This includes evaluating the software's security features, such as access controls and encryption, and its vulnerability to common security threats. The software should also be tested for security vulnerabilities.
Vendor Evaluation: The vendor of the software should also be evaluated. This includes assessing the vendor's reputation, financial stability, support capabilities, and compliance with relevant standards and regulations.
Compatibility Assessment: The software should be assessed for compatibility with our existing systems. This includes evaluating the software's requirements for hardware, operating systems, and other software, and its interoperability with our existing software.
Compliance Assessment: The software should be assessed for compliance with relevant standards and regulations. This includes evaluating the software's compliance with standards for data security, accessibility, and interoperability, and its compliance with regulations such as data protection and privacy laws.

All employees, contractors, and third parties are required to comply with this policy. Non-compliance may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment or contract.

Acquisition Approval¶

The purpose of the acquisition approval process is to ensure that all software acquisitions are justified, cost-effective, and aligned with the organization's strategic objectives. This is essential to managing the organization's software investments and minimizing the risks associated with software acquisition.

Approval Process: All software acquisitions should be approved by a responsible manager. This is the {{managing_authority}} who as authority to approve software acquisitions.
Evaluation Results: The approval process should consider the results of the software and vendor evaluations. This includes the software's functionality, reliability, security, and compatibility, and the vendor's reputation, support capabilities, and compliance with standards and regulations.
Cost Consideration: The approval process should consider the cost of the software. This includes the purchase price of the software, the cost of any required hardware or other software, the cost of installation and configuration, the cost of training users, and the ongoing costs of maintenance and support.
Risk and Benefit Analysis: The approval process should consider the potential risks and benefits of the acquisition. This includes the potential benefits in terms of improved productivity, efficiency, or customer service, and the potential risks in terms of security, compatibility, or vendor reliability.

All employees, contractors, and third parties are required to comply with this policy. Non-compliance may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment or contract.

Software {{management_team}}¶

Software management is to ensure that all software is correctly managed, installed and configured for use. This is essential to ensuring the security and reliability of the software and maximizing its performance and functionality.

License {{management_team}}: All software licenses should be managed to ensure compliance with the license terms. This includes tracking the number of licenses, the expiration dates of licenses, and the terms and conditions of the licenses.
Installation and Configuration Procedures: All software should be installed and configured by authorized personnel. The installation and configuration process should follow established procedures to ensure the security and reliability of the software.
Installation Approval: All software installations should be approved by a responsible manager. The approval process should consider the need for the software, the compatibility of the software with existing systems, and the potential risks and benefits of the installation.
Configuration {{management_team}}: The configuration of all software should be managed to ensure that it remains secure, reliable, and efficient. This includes regularly reviewing and updating the configuration as needed and documenting all changes to the configuration.

All employees, contractors, and third parties are required to comply with these policies. Non-compliance may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment or contract.

Staff Responsibilities¶

Staff (including interns and contractors) are expected to uphold the expected standards of professional conduct and comply with this policy in its entirety.

All staff must read, understand, and comply with all components of this policy, and all laws, and regulations that apply to their role.

Staff should speak up when seeing possible violations of the policies, and legal and regulatory requirements.
Be truthful, and cooperate fully in any internal investigations, and not conceal or destroy information.
Staff should ensure they complete training on the policies, and attest that they are understand and commit to comply with them.
Failing to read or attest to the policies does not excuse staff from these responsibilities.

Review¶

This policy will be reviewed at least annually or as needed based on changes to our business, technology, or regulatory environment.

Enforcement & Waivers¶

These policies are important to us. Violation may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. Only by consent of the {{company_name}}'s board of directors a provision of the policies for a staff member may be waivered.

Implementation Check¶

Who owns this? {{policy_owner}}
Are we doing it? {{implementation_status}}
When will we check again? {{next_review_date}}